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Winter Weather

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This winter we have certainly had a lot of snow, ice, and sleet! Tuesday night my quartet had a concert at the Sheldon Concert Hall, and while we ended up having a nice crowd, it was definitely smaller than we’d hoped for, and I assume a big part of that was the winter weather that was predicted. The gloom and doom of the newscasters “stay home, stay off the roads” kept people at home, and then the snow ended up starting right after the concert was done, so we got home no problem.

It’s hard to judge, isn’t it? If we cancel things every time they predict bad weather, you end with things canceled and nothing happening a certain percentage of the time. Other times, you don’t cancel and things are worse than expected!

Our concert was a lot of fun. Sometimes I forget how fun performing is. One of the things that I enjoy about playing with the quartet is that generally things go better in concert than in rehearsal—or at least, they rarely go worse. I’m not sure exactly why that is, but I think we are much more focused in performance.

I have been feeling like I haven’t been doing enough performing over the winter. Yes, it’s winter, and the weather, and the cold, and nobody comes out. But I often worry that I’m wasting my so-called talents when I spend most of my days cajoling young children to stand up straight and watch their bows. Then again, that’s important too!

I dreamt that I decided to drop everything here and move back to Cleveland and teach/freelance there. After arriving, I realized it had been a huge mistake and that I’d left all the things I’d gained here.

In any case, I think that the constant barrage of horrible news involving today’s political situation doesn’t help my frame of my mind. I feel stressed about so many things completely outside of my control and it just gives a low level of stress and feelings of failure. Sigh.

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We have a drawer in the new bathroom that I’ve been keeping the extra toilet paper rolls in. Yesterday I needed one so pulled open the drawer, and found this. I actually screamed first! Then I closed the drawer.

We are taking a short trip to Branson in March. Have you been? What do you recommend?

Hiking, Performing

Winter Hiking

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Louie and I have been prioritizing doing some hiking when possible this winter. Sometimes we have too much going on to manage, but again we were able to last Saturday! We hit up Russell E. Emmenegger Nature Park (another 60 Hikes in 60 Miles hike) for a short hike first. It had snowed the night before, but much of the snow had melted off the paths already.

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You start the loop by crossing that bridge. Then there are some paved paths at first, but an unpaved trail went off to the right, so we took that. It actually wasn’t exactly right, we don’t think, or we missed something, because we had to cut up ridge and then we found the trail again. This was a nice hike, with some elevation change too. The main downside was the highway noise—the park is located right near the intersections of Interstate 44 and 270 and the noise is LOUD. An advantage to the location is that it’s closer to get to, since it’s just off the highway Winking smile

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I thought the winter landscape was really nice.

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I have a friend that likes to hashtag some of her posts “nerdmarriage”. I think this picture of Louie doesn’t need a hashtag.

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I think my eyes are shut, but my eyes were shut in more than one of these photos. I got a lightweight winter coat for hiking. It might make me look more like a potato than I would prefer, but it was comfortable, and it’s lightweight and squishes down quite a bit. Amazon basics, y’all.

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One part of the trail took us up on a ridge over the Meramec River. It was pretty! There’s quite a lot of development around the park, but that doesn’t mean that the park isn’t pretty.

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After our hike, we decided to head to Powder Valley Conservation Center which was also in the 60 Hikes book and which we had passed on our way to Emmenegger.

Powder Valley has a very nice visitor’s center with some lovely displays and taxidermy. I think especially kids like it, as it looks set up well for families and field trips. We poked around a bit after using the restrooms.

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Not a real raccoon, but it is real.

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I don’t think that is the bear that broke into our car.

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While posing for this photo we got passed by a couple with two small children who likely thought I was strange. I enjoy posing with fake animals at zoos and whatnot.

We started to take another short hike, but the path was paved and ICY and I decided I didn’t want to risk falling, so we turned back. Evidently all the paths there are paved, which isn’t my favorite—I understand they are more accessible, but they are also harder on the knees and not quite as nature-y. We might head back someday to check it out further.

After that little jaunt, we went to the symphony that night and saw an all-Prokofiev concert. It was great, particularly one part in Alexander Nevsky where the choir was absolutely screaming at us in Russian (they put their hands up by their mouths and everything.) The concert was a little long though, and I was exhausted…am I the only one who things that concerts should be on average two hours long and max 2:15, and this one was over 2 1/2 hours. Or they should start earlier, or something. I know I sound old—I feel old and tired! A funny thing at the concert was at the beginning when an elderly woman sitting in front of us turned around to yell at either Louie or the woman on his other side for kicking her chair.

We booked a weekend trip to Eureka Springs, Arkansas with another couple in May, and I’m excited. Between Branson, Eureka Springs, and then the mega road trip this summer it will be a fun travel year! I find that I’m mostly enjoying reading and planning travel lately, as I’m a bit unmotivated and worn down by music and life generally. I don’t know if this is a midlife crisis (mid-career certainly—I realized I’m basically at the halfway point if I plan to retire around 62), or what, but like I’ve been blogging about, I’m tired. I probably need to seek out a few more new things to mix it up, but I’m okay just coasting right now.

And we are supposed to get more “winter weather” this evening. Hopefully this doesn’t keep people away from our quartet concert at the Sheldon. (Probably it will…ugh.)

Random thoughts

Happy Valentine’s Day

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I saw this on facebook and thought it was worth sharing. I kind of miss being a kid on Valentine’s Day! It’s a Thursday this year (in case you are unaware) and so that means it’s just a work day. Louie and I are cooking a nice meal tonight and I got some gelato for dessert.

It’s been a busy but productive week. I ended up filing my taxes—I started them just to see how things were looking, and the truth was, they were looking good (as in, I am getting a refund) so I figured I’d better just go ahead and file. I did some of those “adult” things such as moving money into various tax deductible accounts for retirement and health savings, and I feel very responsible and am patting myself on the back.

As far as my schedule and feeling overwhelmed, I’ve tweaked some things and had to back out of a couple things I agreed to, but nothing last minute. I hate backing out of things, but sometimes it’s necessary, and sometimes I do overextend myself. Generally I do what I agree to, but as a freelancer, I have to set priorities, and lately I’m trying to set the priority of “not going insane with stress” and that’s a new one for me, so I have to keep verifying I’m on track.

And! This morning I made the last reservation for camping on our big road trip in late July/August. We’re looking at a trip that encompasses Yellowstone, Glacier, Waterton Lakes, Banff, Jasper, Theodore Roosevelt NP, and the Badlands, with a couple more small stops along the way. I’ve been researching our trip and looking at campgrounds for months now, and this morning was the day to make the last reservation. It’s still nearly 6 months away, so no reason to get overly excited, but I am excited, and I had to plan it this early in order to get some of the campgrounds we wanted (Banff and Jasper in particular seemed like the most likely to fill up, followed by Glacier). People sure love camping and seeing National Parks, and I am no exception.

This weekend should be okay. Tomorrow we are supposed to get snow so we’ll see how that affects things. Saturday I have a makeup lesson or so, maybe a short activity in the afternoon, and we are attending a concert that night. Sunday we have an event in the afternoon, and otherwise, I have to practice for our upcoming quartet concert on Tuesday night (at the Sheldon!).

That’s where I am right now. Boring stuff, mostly, but maybe boring is good. Oh, and I’m reading a book about the Oregon Trail, so maybe I’ll have time to finish that.

Hiking

Bangert Island

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I had the day off today so Louie and I thought it would be fun to take a short hike somewhere. He’s pretty swamped with work, so we wanted something nearby, not too long, but still “a hike” rather than a walk. I found Bangert Island in Steve Henry’s 60 Hikes in 60 Miles, and off we went!

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It’s a little easy to miss the last turn, so pay close attention. And take my advice, don’t attempt to drive on the Katy Trail. But do check out this hike if you want an easy hike that takes you out of your everyday life and into the woods. It’s in St Charles, and right along the Missouri River. It was cold but sunny, so we just bundled up a bit. The paths weren’t well marked, but we just mostly stayed to the right at every option, and pretty much hiked all the way around. It’s technically an island, I guess, but there’s just a little stream in between and a bridge you can go over easily. They say in high water this is not the place to be. Oh, and a note to readers: the map in my 60 hikes book is out of date, and in retrospect I should have printed out the map online which I now realize is a little different. (And then I went down the rabbit hole, which ended with finding out that there’s a new edition of the book coming out in November, so I’ll have to get that!)

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This picture was taken from the little bridge to get across to Bangert Island from the trailhead.

I’d thought it wouldn’t be muddy since it was cold, but that turned out not to be true. It was muddy in a few spots but not enough that we regretted our choices. My boots will be fine after they dry.

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I always enjoy seeing the Missouri River up close. I had to work hard to keep the casino across the river out of my shot though.

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We took a selfie that I wanted to share here, but it only shows up upside down. This is an occasional issue that I have never been able to solve.  You can look for it on Instagram!

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All in all it was a nice 3 or so miles of “wandering around in the woods” and a nice diversion. It was pretty flat so not difficult or taxing, but it was nice to be in a wild area in winter—everything was DEAD and grey and brown, though we did see a fair amount of (live) birds, and a quick glimpse of a really beautiful woodpecker with a red plume! We only saw a few other people hiking, so it felt quiet and pretty deserted.

A downside is that you are really close to the highway and can hear it pretty well on the north side of the island, but it’s kind of fun to be in the woods hearing the cars and feeling a sort of odd separation.

In any case, it was a lovely way to spend part of the afternoon. I would recommend checking out Bangert Island if you want an easy hike to take your mind off life’s stresses.

Deep Thoughts

Gloom

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This winter has been gloomy lately. I suppose that’s normal, and in all honesty, it reminds me of living in Cleveland (you’d think that was a bad thing, but it’s not!). But as most midwesterners, I’m prone to wish for weather we don’t have…right now I’d love the sun, but I’m sure in July I’ll regret that wish and long for a cold, rainy day like today.

Life is chugging along. I found out last night that one of my dad’s good friends for many many years passed away, and I’m very sorry for him. I had a moment of “oh my goodness everybody I know is going to die or just get old” and then I passed it, and just felt sad for the specific death, because there’s no good in dwelling on the enormity of loss.

I have been feeling a bit “what am I doing with my life” lately though. Along the lines of, why do other people seem to enjoy teaching so much more than I do, and why do students even bother taking music lessons, and are music lessons worth it in a family if it just causes more arguments between parents and a child? Combine that with the stress and drama of freelancing and I’ve been feeling kind of blah about it all.

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I’ve been escaping by reading cozy mystery after cozy mystery, and by diligently planning and making camping and other reservations for our big summer road trip. August seems far away, but the National parks book up fast. I’m hoping our government is open in August, and that the forest fires out west aren’t as bad as intelligent people worry they will be. I am also trying to focus on the positive in each day (and this is a real struggle for me, I am not good at living in today), and trying to be a more positive person (another struggle!).

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In any case! The cats are adorable, I recorded with my band over the weekend and that was fun, and this Saturday is a day off. I feel constantly burned out, so I just need to allow myself time to relax and regain some strength and motivation. I’m often torn between my extroverted tendencies (let’s have lunch, dinner, go for a hike together!) and my introverted ones (no, I think I’ll just stay home and curl up with a book) and as a result I end up making plans with friends, and then kind of dreading them, but then having a wonderful time.

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I think the weather is affecting me more than I realize. In the meantime, I’m going to read about hiking in Yellowstone and get myself pumped up to workout!

Random thoughts

Friday again

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This week went by fast! I suppose the holiday on Monday helped the speed, though I did of course have a few things to do on Monday. Otherwise, the week has been taken up with teaching and opera rehearsals, with some quartet sprinkled in. I’ve been making a concerted effort this year to work out nearly every day and I have to pat myself on the back a little bit because I’ve been keeping at it! Has the scale moved, not exactly. But I’m feeling good about it, and I think ultimately that’s what matters.

Life is busy, but good. I feel much more positive this January than last one, and I am enjoying quite a lot of what I’m doing. I’m not loving every minute, but who is. I have finally gotten my college teaching schedule organized (that took longer than expected, and I should know better!) and I’m even feeling a bit caught up on some odds and ends I’d been putting off. As you all know, I tend to take on more than I should because I feel like I can, and then sometimes things get back-burnered for entirely too long. I’m trying to stay more on top of things this year with a planner/bullet journal combination, and so far it’s been working. Only working 40 to 50 hours a week helps as well, rather than closer to 60…(that is even counting my emailing/admin/business time!) January is a good time to reflect and refresh, and the more I reflect the more I want to keep being less busy…or at least appreciate the time when I am.

Pictures! My mother shared a few things from my grandmother’s house.

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This adorable picture of my dad. He already looks like himself here too, as I believe that is his natural expression.

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My grandparents came to visit me at Interlochen one summer, and I guess they saved the concert program! I come by my hoarding tendencies genetically Smile But I am tickled that they saved it. I remember looking out and seeing them in the audience from the stage, and it was a nice feeling.

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My niece, practicing for being a big sister. (I didn’t take this photo as I’m not there, but love it.)

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Miles and Muriel, sitting together. What usually happens is that Muriel sits somewhere and Miles joins her. It’s not as often the other way… I’m not sure what that means, but aren’t they cute? Miles has also been stealing all of my pencils, so I need to either find his stash, or get some new ones. Or both, I suppose.

This weekend I have two opera performances, one performance at a retirement community, and some relaxing to do. I haven’t gotten as much reading in the past few days so I’d like to be able to do that. I’m also planning to get some good workouts in, and maybe even a walk outside in the neighborhood if weather allows—it’s been so cold and gross here, but as I type the sun is shining and who knows, maybe it’ll be possible. We’ve gotten quite a lot of snow here this winter, and …it’s funny, I still love seeing the flakes come down, and seeing everything covered in snow, and that quiet that comes with it all, but then, ugh, being wet, and shoveling sidewalks and digging out cars and worrying about people following too closely and driving too fast, and all the salt and the cold and the grey slush…yuck. I guess that’s a pretty normal way to feel about the snow, but still.

What’s up with your weekend? Have you ever attended an opera before?

thoughts about violin, teaching, running, life.